Mexican Vacation
by Xealvi
Summary: Roxas and his three best friends have decided to take a two week vacation to Mexico for Christmas and New Year's Eve. Amidst this tropical paradise though, is a redheaded tourist that Roxas just can't seem to get away from.
1. December 18th

**A/N: This chapter has been sitting in my computer for over a year, and I thought I should do something with it. So I've decided to make it into a story. This whole thing was written based off a trip I took to Mexico in 2009 for Christmas. And I thought the location would make a wonderful story. For now, i'm going to keep the rating at T. I also have half of the second chapter written, so please review YAY or NAY for if you think i should continue writing this story. There should be a lot of detail and I hope you like it! :)**

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><p><em>Saturday  Sábado – December 18__th_

I hate flying. It's not natural. If God meant for humans to fly, he would have given us wings. That's why there are angels. THEY are meant to fly. Not humans.

Not to mention it's just a pain in the ass. You have to wake up at fucking 2:45 am to catch a flight that doesn't leave until six in the morning. Then your roommate sets the alarm late and you wake up an hour late. So you have to rush out the door and freeze your ass off while you jam all your stuff into the back of a car and then speed to pick up your friends and rush to the airport. It's only because of the time that the LA highways weren't crowded, and for that I will be forever grateful.

And then, just to make it worse, you have to go through the hassle of actually _getting to_ the plane. You have to park your car in an assigned spot and pay for it to stay there, then you have to take yet another cab to the actual airport where you remember you left your toothbrush in the bathroom of your apartment.

Then, you have to go through customs. Waiting in a longer line than the one at the premier of the new Harry Potter movie, takes _ages._ Thank the gods above that we all had carry-on bags, so they ushered us to the front of the line. But then, you find that roommate's best friend spelt your last name wrong and they make a huge fuss over it in case I'm not the person I say I am.

But finally that gets cleared up after a lot of explaining. But it's _still_ not over! You have to rush, practically running down the halls, only to get to baggage. There, you not only have to remove your shoes and your belt, but you have do dig around in your bag and take out any electronic devices like cell phones, game systems and the likes and but them in a bin. Then you have to put your bags through an x-ray machine thing, and you have to walk through one too.

And no, that can't go smoothly either! Pence just happens to have scissors in his bag; which they have to confiscate because it might be dangerous. Like the dork would even consider using it for anything but cutting paper. Not only that, but Olette's makeup in her bag added up to over the 2oz. limit on liquids. So _that_ held us up too.

After we all get through that, we have to yank our shoes back on, leaving the shoelaces undone in our haste, and _run_ to the terminal because the plane takes off in _ten_ minutes. And you discover you have to also take a shuttle because your flight is on _the other side of the freaking airport!_

Thank God they have those speed ramps. I swear those things cut our running time in half. It's a speeding tarp that you can run on and makes you move _much_ faster. It's the only thing that I actually like in the airport. But the aching strain the fast walking/running puts on your calves takes the fun out of it. It's like a fire burning the muscle of your legs, and all your attempts to put it out only make it grow stronger. People look at you funny because your breath is coming fast, your chest is heaving and sweat is slowing dripping down the side of your face from the stress and pressure of _having_ to make it.

Thankfully, no one trips and no one accidentally spills their bags. (Trust me, that's happened before) And we make it to the terminal with only a few minutes to spare.

After a lot of talking with the flight attendant and being quickly ushered into our seats; then, we can relax. We all laugh nervously, but we're all exhausted; and we've only been up for a few hours. But it's a good thing we made the flight; the next available flight to our destination wouldn't have flown out for another week! Pretty much about the time we're supposed to come back home. That would not have been good.

But it's _still_ not over yet! The plane pulls away from the terminal and the flight attendant begins to drone on about safety instructions. I know the information by heart; I've gone flying that often. Yeah…no. That's a lie. I've flown about six times before. But I did a lot of research on it after my first plane ride. I didn't enjoy it very much. The guy beside me didn't either. Though that might be because I threw up on his lap shortly after takeoff.

It takes a few minutes to get going; but when we get going, _we get going._ The plane shoots off like California Screamin' at Disneyland. I furiously chew at the strawberry gum in my mouth; its flavor long gone as I grip the armrests; my stomach left back down on the ground.

I close my eyes, images of the plane blowing up like an inferno flashing across my mind's eye. Bile threatens to surge up my throat and out of my mouth, but somehow I manage to keep it in check. Every few seconds I pop my ears to level out the pressure in my head.

Finally, _finally_, we're in the air and at a stable height. I can feel myself visibly relax as the seatbelt sign disappears above us. The leather seats finally seem comforting, and the dull roar of the plane becomes a soothing lullaby to my tightly wound up anxiety. I manage to fall into a light sleep.

Three hours and thirty minutes later, I'm being shaken awake by Olette, who's in a panic because our connecting flight leaves in half an hour. Oh yeah, we were in Houston, Texas.

I shoot out of my seat and grab my carry-on baggage from the compartment above the seat. Hayner, Pence and Olette grab theirs and we all impatiently urge other people to move out of our way as we practically run out of the plane and fly down the halls to our next ride. (Catch the irony there?)

Thankfully, we make this one too; and we're not in as much of a rush. We're on the plane with plenty of time to spare, as nothing went wrong.

It's ten in the morning in LA, but noon here in Houston. It's the same time at our destination too. Where is that? Oh, that's right. We're going to Huatulco Beach in Mexico. We're going to stay at a hotel called the Barceló Premium. It's crazy, I know.

"Told you it wouldn't be too bad." Hayner pipes up as he punches my arm. I glare at my roommate, who sat beside me in the small plane.

He doesn't squirm under my gaze; simply lets out a great big grin that makes his chocolate eyes dance under his golden eyebrows. His wiry blonde hair is set in its bed hair state, but still manages to look good. Dressed in his usual outfit, camouflage slacks, black wife-beater, jungle green vest and matching shoes, he looked like the typical bad boy you experience in school. That's for a good reason. It's because he is.

"You're lucky I don't pound you in right now." I mutter and remove my gaze from his face, leaning back into the seat.

He simply laughs and his girlfriend's face appears from behind us. She's stood up and is looking at the two of us like a mother hen. "You sure you two can handle sitting next to each other?"

She flips her long brown hair over her shoulder as her vivid green eyes examine us in harsh scrutiny. Her flower patterned orange tank top went well with her light skin tone and along with her beige capris and matching shoes and orange socks, she looked like the typical good girl. There's a reason for that too. Typical huh? Bad boy scores the goody-two-shoes girl, but only after being reformed. Almost like a romance novel. Except for the fact that Olette has yet to tame a few of Hayner's rebel traits.

He just waves her off and sticks his tongue out at her. "Come on Olette. We're not five. We can handle ourselves."

"Really?" One of her delicate eyebrows rises as she throws him a withering look. "Cause you're sure acting like that's how old you are."

"Guys! Calm down! You all need to calm down and enjoy the flight!" Another face appears beside Olette's.

Always the peacemaker, Pence was the middle ground between my two other friends. His soft brown eyes greatly contradicted with his wild brown hair that reached for the sky out of a purple band he insisted on wearing. He also preferred wearing his casual blue slacks, red sports jersey over a white shirt and blue sneakers. But even though he was a little more, um, _filled out_ than the rest of us, he was an awesome friend. They all were. They've been my best friends since before I could remember, and I couldn't imagine them not being in my life.

"Yeah Hayner." I punch him back for a small dose of revenge. "Calm down and enjoy the flight. You don't need to fight with your girlfriend before we've even got there!"

He makes a face at me that I laugh at, which he ends up laughing at too. We're really silly sometimes; but it doesn't matter. We're all friends, and we're inseparable friends at that.

The flight takes off and I have to excuse myself to the restroom before my dinner from last night gets all over Hayner's lap. Not only would he make a big deal about it, but he'd find a way to get revenge for it. Learned that one the hard way. Didn't want to face his revenge schemes again.

But the ride goes along smoothly. I can't sleep, so I take out a book to read. I think I brought about six. Not only do I read fast, but I had a feeling I'd have a lot of alone time on this trip. But I didn't mind. Actually, I'd rather have the alone time. Much better than watching Hayner and Olette make out or having Pence drone on and on about the latest scientific theory on microscopic development or some other topic as such.

I spend the next two and a half hours reading about a boy in India whose family lives in a zoo. It was a very descriptive read, and I found myself intrigued in the plot and flow of the story. The boy had to move to Canada but his ship sunk and he only barely managed to get out. But he becomes trapped on a life-boat with a 450 pound Bengal tiger. I'm interrupted from my reading right as the boy begins to eat a sea turtle for food.

Casually we all get our luggage, there was no rush anymore, and stride off the plane, following all the other passengers.

The second that we get off the plane, we're stricken by the heat. I let out a gasp of exasperated breath. This was _way_ too hot! I felt like I would become a puddle if I didn't get in the shade soon. Way worse than summer in LA. And it was winter! But I guess it's because we're so close to the equator.

Hayner passes by me, a pair of dark sunglasses already placed on his nose. He grins and slaps me on the back. "Come on Roxas! You're slowing everyone down."

I growl at him. He knew about this! I know he did! Olette throws me an apologetic look as she passes me to catch up with Hayner and take his hand. Pence passes me too, a grin on his face and I camera in his hands.

With a roll of my blue eyes and a small smile, I follow them after running a hand through my spiky blonde hair. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe I'd actually have fun.

"Hurry up Rox!" Hayner yells out to me. "You're slower than molasses in winter!"

Never mind that I feel like an egg on the sidewalk in the middle of a summer heat wave. I roll my eyes again and then hurry off to join them inside of the building to get our carry-on luggage that had to be stored under the plane because of its small size. Maybe I'll manage to get through this vacation without strangling my roommate.


	2. December 24th

**A/N: I've decided to continue this story. :) This chapter is pretty long, so I hope you all enjoy it! This is the chapter where you all meet Axel, so tell me what you think! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!**

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><p><em>Friday  Viernes – Christmas Eve / Navidad Vispera_

I can't believe that I've already been here for almost a week. And we don't leave for yet another week. We leave on New Year's Day. That'll be pleasant. Spend the first day of the New Year getting jet-lag and stomach cramps. Lovely.

But it's Christmas Eve. Which is cool. It'll give me a nice break. There's supposed to be a big dinner/entertainment thing going on tonight. I hope it's not as bad as the entertainment that they've had for the past week. I am _not_ going to sit through any of those shows again. No way. No how. They'll have to drag me kicking and screaming.

Suddenly my stomach growls at me. I glance down at myself from where I sit in the lobby of the hotel. My lips dive into a slight frown. Hadn't I just eaten a few hours ago? What time was it?

I push myself off of the multi-coloured cushions of the couch I was lounging on. And when I say multi-coloured, I mean _multi-coloured._ If the couch was in the sky, it could pass for a rainbow; I'm sure of it.

Leisurely, I head over to the front desk of the hotel. Just above the desk were three clocks; showing times for Madrid, Mexico and New York. Personally I thought it was kind of pointless, but I guess it could be useful too. The hands of the Mexico clock show me that it's already a quarter after one in the morning.

My lips pucker and release a whistle of appreciation. I managed to spend a good four hours lounging on that couch; doing nothing. I'd finished all my books days ago, so I was getting a little bored. Okay, a lot bored.

I would have been hanging out with everyone else, but Pence said he was going to venture inland to check out the locals. He decided to go even again our protests; but I'm sure he'll be fine. He's almost fluent in Spanish.

And there was _no way_ I was going to hang with Hayner and Olette. Would you like to know why? It's because this morning, Olette said she was feeling "under the weather", and Hayner promised he'd keep her company. Even a blind man could see between those lines.

So I'm left by myself for the day.

I stretch out my back slightly and gaze upon the lobby. Even now, it still surprised me at the vivid enthusiasm the building itself seemed to convey.

The lobby was completely open to the outside. Stairs met the gravel of the road near the front. Inside, the shade gave relief from the harsh sunlight streaming down from the clear blue sky. The roof must have ended up at the fifth story; the ceiling was that far away from the ground. There were also large fans with lights on a lower ceiling above the bar area. It made the lobby seem that much larger.

Great majestic tiles covered the ground, and its surface must get cleaned about seven times a day. The walls had a certain popcorn look to them; colour, texture and everything. There was also a wooded area that contained the lobby bar, and right next to it were the wood chairs, tables and couches. The area I had been dozing.

There were four exists from the lobby. Two of them lead to the rooms; odd rooms on the right side of the hotel and even rooms on the left side of the hotel. One was the entrance, and the last lead to the "backyard" of the hotel.

That's the path I take, my hands unconsciously shoved deep into the pockets of my swim trunks. I also had a white shirt on and some sandals, but it wasn't a big deal. That's the normal fashion idea around here. Or just wandering around in your swimsuit. It's really hot around here.

Outside, a fake Christmas tree was placed at the bottom of the white stairs. Currently it wasn't lit up, but as soon as the sun set, this baby lit up pretty like a firecracker. To my right, there's a restaurant. I pause for a moment at the entrance, but I continue walking along. There's another place to eat around here. And the cool thing is that I don't have to pay for each individual meal. It comes included with the stay. Around my wrist there's a yellow wrist band; that let me have as much to eat as I wanted. The yellow colour was because I'm a legal age and can get drinks. White wrist bands are for anyone under the age of eighteen.

As I stroll along, I walk past the many flowers that are scattered around the place like the Greek goddess Demeter threw a fit. There are also plenty of palm trees that must be at least two or three stories tall. Many kids are playing in the huge pool that seemed to wrap around in a circle, while still keeping its boxlike shape. If that makes any sense at all.

I walk by plenty of chairs where hotel residents lounge; soaking up sun, reading, or watching their children. I don't envy them in the slightest. A delighted squeal makes me turn my head towards the beach on my opposite side. As I watch, a teenage girl gets swept up by the waves. My steps come to a halt as I watch a teenage boy swim out to her to see if she's okay. The two of them laugh together, and then the girl wraps her arms around the boy and kisses him soundly on the lips even as another wave comes for them.

My eyes squeeze shut and my lips tighten in a grimace as my head turns away. I pick up my feet, dragging them along with my heavy heart. It's not that I'm depressed or anything. No, I'm not. It's just, being a twenty-two year old virgin guy makes you kind of lonely. Especially when you're a _gay_ twenty-two year old virgin.

Finally, my reluctant feet lead my over to another restaurant. This one was in the form of a hut; with the pointed bamboo roof and everything. The style of the chairs and tables are the same as in the other restaurant (wood and colourful tablecloths) but this one gave a nice relaxing ocean breeze. Seeing as though there were no walls and the roof was held up by pillars.

I easily make my way inside and head over to the buffet area. Here I could just take whatever food I wanted and come back as many times as I wanted. It was nice not to have to think about what I was going to eat.

Without taking much effort I grab a plate and then begin to fill it. I don't pay attention to what I put on it, until I run out of room. Curiously, I look to see what I had assembled this time.

Beef strips stroganoff, potatoes, beans, and even some French fries. I smile slightly; that sounded like a good start. If I could get it down that is. Unfortunately, my eyes are a whole lot bigger than my stomach. But I think I can make it back for some dessert.

After getting a drink, I begin to walk over to an empty table; both my hands full. I suppose I should have seen before hand what would happen next. What with both my hands completely full, and my natural klutziness; there's no way it could have been avoided.

But it happens. I trip. Okay; that's kind of a lie. I pretty much walked straight into the side of another table. _This_ resulted in me tripping and spilling my food and drink all over myself and the floor.

"Shit!" A voice yelps out as I let out a surprised cry as I crash to the floor.

Hands grab at the back of my shirt even as I'm still trying to recover from the shock. As I'm raised back to my feet, I start muttering. "Oh my gosh, I am _so_ sorry! _So_ sorry! I am…"

My words trail off as I see face of the guy whose table I rammed into; and I can't believe that I didn't notice him. His hair was a bright red and reached for the sky in crazy long spikes. He had delicate, but strong cheekbones and a firm nose; with full lips poised in a slight frown. But the most amazing thing was his eyes; they were a bright vivid green that seemed to sparkle and dance in the sunlight. And underneath his eyes, he had two scar-shaped tattoos; one under each eyes.

_Ho-ly craaaaaaap._

"Sorry." I finish lamely, casting my eyes downwards for a moment as I collect myself. My gaze travels to my spilt food and my stomach growls at me; mourning the loss.

I glance around the restaurant to see that everyone had stopped eating to watch what happened. My face turns a violent shade of red and my legs begin to wobble underneath me. I slightly sink into an empty chair at the table.

"Hey Blondie? Are you okay?" The man sits down across from me, his eyes narrowed at me in worry, and his lips still in that slight frown.

"Yeah." I utter after a moment's pause. Then I rub the side of my leg. "But I'm going to have one hell of a bruise tomorrow."

The man's face breaks into a huge grin, his white teeth almost as blinding as the sun. The guy could have been a model for…well for anything.

"Well as long as you're okay kid." He leans back in his chair languidly, his eyes noticeably looking me over.

"I'm not a kid." I snap at him, a little unnerved from his blatant observation. To prove it to him, I hold up my yellow wrist band.

In return he holds his own arm up; revealing his yellow wrist band. Then he lets out another one of those blinding smiles. "I'm twenty four. You?"

"Twenty-two." Why was I talking with this guy? Shouldn't I just leave? I was only embarrassing myself further. But I couldn't tear myself away. Not only did I not want to be rude to a guy I just practically collided with, but his eyes were just way too enticing to look at.

"So," He starts and pauses to take a sip of a red drink. "Why don't you go get another plate and come back here so we can talk?"

"Why would I do that?" The words are out of mouth before I can actually think them through; and I see him raise an eyebrow.

"Because you're a nice kid and you want to be polite to the guy you nearly ran over?" His sly grin unnerves me slightly, but I can't exactly refuse. So I rise and quickly go get some more food.

This time when I walk back, I take slow, careful steps. I notice that the mess on the carpet had been cleaned up, and I feel a twinge of guilt surge through my heart; the workers here were far too overworked and I'd only made them do more.

Carefully I ease into the seat, using the ready napkin to wipe some of the food off of my shirt. Then I stuff a mouthful of the _puntas stroganoff_ into my mouth; giving myself a reason not to speak.

"Do you always make such a dramatic entrance to catch someone's attention?" The redhead grins at me and I frown as I swallow my food.

"I was going to another table." The muttered excuse seems pathetic, even to me. "I didn't mean to run into you at all."

He snickers under his breath. "Sure you were kid. That's why you sat down at my table so quickly isn't it?"

I flinch backwards and drop my utensils down on my plate, making a clattering sound. "What's your problem?" I hiss at him. "Why are you being so rude? You don't even know me!"

For the first time, a flicker of confusion crosses his face and I can't help but stare at the alien look in his face. Then I scold myself, I didn't know this guy! I didn't know what looked alien on his face and what did!

"Rude? What do you mean?" His voice is somewhat softer, and even his features seem somewhat slackened and his eyes were inquisitive.

Is this guy serious? I should just get up and walk away. Just stand up, and walk away. Stand up. Get off the chair. Away.

I continue staring at him. "You're being a bit rude to me." I pause and I know he can see my eyes flickering over his face. "Don't you realize it?"

His face darkens a bit and his shoulder hunch over as he shoves a bit of food into his mouth. I patiently wait for him to finish and speak, but he pops another bite in once he finishes with the first one.

"Ugh" I let out a grunt of annoyance and roughly shove my chair backwards so I can stand up. If he wasn't going to try and have an intelligent conversation, why should I?

I push the chair in and begin to storm off. When I hear a voice call out, I hear but I don't turn around. Though the words soon begin float around in my head like a broken record player.

"_I'm Axel by the way! Get it memorized!"_

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_8:50pm_

"Come on Roxas! I'm hungry! Can we go?"

I pause a moment from doing up my tie to roll my eyes at my best friend. "Hayner you're always hungry."

He grumbles. "It's not my fault."

I raise an eyebrow at him through the mirror in my bedroom. When we checked into the hotel we took two rooms. Hayner, Pence and Olette all took one room and I got the last one. Their reasoning for it is that Hayner and Olette want to sleep together (double meaning anyone?) and I was too light of a sleeper for Pence to sleep in the same room as me because he woke up super early.

But the real reason? No one wants to share a bed with the gay guy.

"Did Olette and Pence already go downstairs?" I ask him from where he lies on one of the two beds in the middle of the room.

"Yeah, they went to go save seats for us; because you're such a slow-poke." He mutters softly. "Taking a nap before we're supposed to have dinner. Unbelievable."

"It's not my fault!" I snap at him, still a little cranky from being rudely woken up by the sound of a horn blowing in my ear. "I was just resting my eyes."

"Sure you were." Hayner mumbles.

"_Sure you were kid."_

My fingers fumble and what small progress I had made in doing up the tie instantly becomes undone. I grunt in frustration and glare at myself in the mirror.

"How about you forget the tie?" Hayner pipes up. "And we go downstairs to eat?"

I sigh in agreement and toss the tie into a drawer. It was supposed to be a sort of fancy night, but I guess my jeans and plaid shirt will have to suffice.

"Finally!" Hayner cries out and jumps up from the bed, quickly ushering me out of the room. "Let's go!"

The second we're outside I pat down my pockets and sigh in relief when I feel the rough outline of my card key in my back pocket.

"You're lucky I didn't leave my key in there." I glare at him, but he's already pushed the elevator button and was practically jumping up and down in his excitement.

I just roll my eyes and let a small smile creep onto my face as we walk inside the elevator. There's another man inside, but he smiles politely at us and shuffles to the side to make room for us. As I step inside, I momentarily catch sight of the man's green eyes.

_But the most amazing thing was his eyes; they were a bright vivid green that seemed to sparkle and dance in the sunlight._

Goosebumps pop up on my bare skin and I shiver in the warm enclosed space; suddenly feeling like I just wanted to skip dinner altogether. Why the hell couldn't I get him out of my head?

"Hey Rox, are you okay?" Hayner peers into my face. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine." I brush him off as the elevator comes to a stop and we begin to walk towards the lobby. We follow the crowds of people towards where the employees have set up the dinner for tonight.

Hayner catches up to me and grabs my elbow, roughly bringing me to a stop. "Seriously, Roxas, are you okay? I'm your best friend man, talk to me."

I take in a deep breath, glancing to the side at the bright Christmas tree, the sight completely dazzling. My eyes go back to Hayner's concerned face. Letting out a short sigh, I answer, "I just had an encounter with someone earlier today and I can't get him out of my head."

"Him?" Hayner raises an eyebrow as we continue walking. "You met someone?"

I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, noticing that he's expecting some sort of answer. "Not really…I just ran into him during lunch…. literally."

Hayner looks at me skeptically, and I know that I'm going to have to spill the entire story once we meet up with the others. I take a deep breath, forcing my mind not to go back to the redhead.

"Hayner! Roxas! Over here!" I glance up and see Olette and Pence waiting for us. Pence is dressed up in a nice black suit that matches the one that Hayner had on, and Olette has on a nice beige dress that goes down to her thighs. Man…I feel undressed. Should have stayed to put on that tie.

I put on a smile and head over to them, getting a ticket from a waiter in the process that had our table and seat numbers on them. Olette takes Hayner's hand and starts to lead us to the table, Pence and I following behind.

There were dozens of tables set up all over the lawn, along with a stage that was set up with a band playing some soft Mexican music from their culture. Along the border of the lawn were tables and tables set up with the food for tonight; buffet style.

Olette has everyone sit down at our table first; though I have a feeling Hayner may have influenced her a bit. My theory is proven correct a moment after the four of us sit down when Olette blurts out, "So who is he?"

"Who is who?" Oblivious Pence remarks, his confusion painfully obvious on his face.

"The guy Roxas met today." Hayner speaks up. "Come on Roxas, tell us the story!"

I roll my eyes, my stomach growling at me as I glance towards the food. Man, I completely forgot that I barely ate any lunch I'd run away from that guy so fast.

"Roxas?" Olette probes. I look into her eyes, knowing that none of them are going to relent until they get some kind of detail.

"Okay." I groan as they all grin and lean in closer before I speak. "I went to go get lunch today, and you know me, the klutz I am, I tripped and spilled my food all over some guy's table."

I pause, my mind going back to those green eyes of his. Why hadn't I stayed and talked longer? I could feel the twinge of regret settling in my stomach; I might never see him again.

"Go on." Pence urges, intrigued, as all of them were. I smile slightly and continue. "He asked if I was okay, and he kept calling me kid for some reason. I don't look that young, do I?"

I look around at them. Olette waves her hand, waving my question aside and urging me to continue. I roll my eyes. "I got a new plate of food and sat down next to him, because he asked me to. But he was really rude, so I left. End of story. I'm going to get food."

I push my chair out and leave before any of them can stop me. My stomach growls at me, pushing me forward. I grab a plate and wait in line, placing random food on my plate, not really caring what it was, just wanting to get food to eat.

"Hey there Blondie."

My body freezes up at the familiar voice, that twinge of regret I had felt moments earlier vanishing completly. _"I'm Axel by the way! Get it memorized!" _

I turn around to see the red spikes and brilliant green eyes of the man I met just a few hours earlier. "Axel?"

He grins a grin full of teeth. "You actually do remember me…. I'm so...flattered."

I frown slightly, turning around and ignoring him, continuing to put food on my plate. "You hungry?" Axel speaks up from behind me. "You didn't eat much during lunch." I ignore him and walk back to my table, noticing that only Pence is there. I look back to see Olette and Hayner in line to get food…and I also see Axel following me.

I narrow my eyes at him and walk a little faster to my table, sitting down across from Pence. He grins up at me as I put my plate down on the table. "Hungry Roxas?"

"Roxas." Axel grins and sits down in the empty seat next to me. I look over at him in disbelief as he takes out his ticket and places it on the table; the seat number the one next to mine. "Thanks for the name kid." He grins at Pence.

Pence cocks his head slightly. "And you are…?"

Axel reaches his hand out toward Pence. "Axel. Got it memorized? I met Roxie here earlier today."

Pence shakes his hand, throwing me a look, but I'm not paying attention. I just can't help but notice how nicely Axel was dressed. He had a black tuxedo on, which greatly heightened his white face and red hair. And his green eyes seemed to practically glow with his smile.

"So, Axel, what're you doing here?" Pence asks, leaning forward in his seat. I shoot him daggers, but he ignores them. I resist the urge to growl and instead I stuff my mouth with the food that I'd gotten.

"I'm down here doing some research for this manga I'm in the middle of writing." Axel grins brightly. Man, his smile was absolutely stunning.

"You're a manga artist?" Pence leans back in his chair, impressed. "How's that profession?"

Axel shrugs. "Well, I'm not going to get rich off it, but you know, who cares? It's what I love to do. I'm just absolutely astounded my editor managed to save up enough money to send me down here for an entire week. This is my first day here, and I've just been chillin' around for the day before I get down to my research."

"Roxas, you have to admit that's cool!" Pence looks at me, trying to bait me into conversation. But I'm smarter than your average lab rat, and I simply nod and continue eating, avoiding that trap layered with cheese.

"What's cool?" Hayner questions as he walks back to the table with Olette and a plate full of food.

They both sit down and Pence stands up, clearly about to go get food. He must have been watching everyone's drinks. "This is Axel," He points to the redhead. "He's the guy Roxas met earlier today, and he's a manga artist."

Pence walks away, and I glare at his retreating figure as Olette pounces on Axel. "So you met Roxas earlier today then?"

Axel nods, as he swallows a mouthful of food he'd been chewing. "That's right. He nearly ran over me in the process, but hey, I don't mind." He turns his head slightly to catch my eye. "He's cute."

Olette sends me a meaningful look, and I simply concentrate on breathing normally. He thought I was cute? But is he even gay? I glance at him again. He's certainly dressed well enough to be gay…but I don't know…

"So what kind of manga do you write?" Hayner questions him, honest curiosity plain on his face.

Axel's face turns a slight pink, and he runs his hand through the spikes on his head. "Ahh…you'll think it's weird."

"No we won't." Olette smiles brightly at him, clearing taking a liking to the redhead. "We're all friends here."

"Friends huh..." I hear him mutter under his breath, though I don't think anyone else caught it. It perked my interest a little bit. Just a little though. Not enough to ask about it…

"Ah, fine." Axel takes a swig of the red wine in front of him. "I write yaoi and yuri manga."

_Gay._ That clinched it. This guy was totally gay. That's when I start freaking out. Here was an honest to god gay guy, who was not only completely stunning but who actually thought I was _cute!_ _Ho-ly craaaaaaap!_

"Would you all excuse me?" I stand up and push my chair in, thankful that I'd eaten the majority of my meal by then. "I'm exhausted, and I think it would be best for me to go to sleep now."

This is when Pence arrives back at the table. "Aw, Roxas, why do you have to go? It's Christmas Eve for pete's sake!"

"All the more reason for me to go to sleep." I smile at my friends. "It's okay, you guys have fun. I don't drink anyway, you'll have more fun without me."

I turn around to walk away, realizing that I'm leaving Axel in the company of my scheming friends, but taking deep breaths the entire way back to my room and ignoring the idea. I fall asleep as soon as I collapse on my bed, still in my clothes; the last thing running through my head an image of those bright green eyes of his. _Axel._


	3. December 24th Axel POV

**A/N: Yes, I realize I haven't updated anything in a really long time. And I apologize for it over and over again. I got an idea from one of my reviewers to write the next chapter of this story as the LAST chapter, but from Axel's point of view. I hope you guys like it. :) And I shall TRY to update things more than 4 months at a time. Really, really sorry about that. I hope you like the chapter anyway! :)**_  
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><p><em>Friday Viernes – Christmas Eve / Navidad Vispera_

_Axel's POV_

I take a deep breath in, my eyes closed as I lie down in the sun. God, I love vacations. I open my eyes, squinting from the sun. I glance down towards the beach, watching the waves crash gently on the shore. I tilt my head, my attention caught by a teenage girl and boy kissing in the waves. I smile to myself; that's cute. I could probably use that for a scene.

I yawn, stretching out my arms. I love naps. Naps are awesome. I rub my eyes, standing up to stretch my legs. My stomach growls at me, and I smile happily to myself. It's probably about lunchtime now, and I didn't have to pay for meals!

I start walking along the beach to a cute little mini-cafe. The sand oozes between my toes, as I was wearing no shoes. I was in swim trunks and a plain white wife-beater. After my little nap, I was planning on going swimming in the ocean. Today was my first day here, and I was going to spend it relaxing to the fullest potential.

I continue walking, lost in my thoughts. It was so nice of my editor to send me down here. I know he sent me down here for "research" purposes, but he knows I over-work myself and sent me down here for a bit of a break. But who knows, maybe this vacation could really give me an idea for another manga.

Entering the mini-cafe, I walk up a couple stairs to grab some food. The first thing that catches my eyes is a container of Jell-O. I glance around, feeling like a little kid as I pile my plate full of Jell-O. Licking my lips, I walk back down the stairs, sitting down at the first table available to start eating my delicious sweets, mentally preparing myself to make up for it by swimming later.

I glance up as I'm eating, looking around the cafe. It was full of lots of families, and couples spending time together and kissing happily. My smile falters for a moment as I take notice of a couple sitting next to each other in a booth and snuggling close to each other. I grimace, poking my Jell-O with a fork. It's been a while since my last relationship. And that one hadn't ended up very well.

My boyfriend, Riku, had cheated on me with some guy named Sora over a year ago. I found out when I found a pair of boxers that weren't mine in his room. We broke up then and there, and I haven't seen him since. I sigh heavily, shaking my head. Relationships are hard. Even harder when you're gay.

I glance around, my eyes picking up a blonde kid walking through the food area. The smile reappears on my face as I look at this kid. His blonde hair stood up in short spikes all over his head, and he was dressed in simple swim trunks and a white t-shirt. But when he turns around and starts walking this way, I notice how stunning his bright blue eyes are. Oh, he was cute.

Suddenly, I notice he trips, and in a moment I can tell he's going to fall on my table.

"Shit!" I yelp out, grabbing my tray of Jell-O before it can fall on the floor. The kid doesn't even cry out as he falls, he just drops his tray to hold out his hands to protect his face.

Dropping my tray on an adjacent table, I grab the back of his shirt before he hits the ground, saving him from a conk on the head. Once he's standing, he starts muttering. "Oh my gosh, I am _so_ sorry! _So_ sorry! I am..."

He trails off, and his eyes widen as he looks at me for the first time. I feel my stomach knot worse than a dozen butterflies in my stomach as his eyes glance up and down my body. I hope I didn't look pervy or something. Did he think my hair stood out too straight? Are my eyes too green? Is it weird that my hair is red? Some people don't like that... But gosh, his eyes are even more dazzling up close.

"Sorry." He finishes, casting his eyes downward to look at his food, splattered all over the floor. He looks up to glance around the cafe, and I watch as his face turns a dark shade of red. I resist the urge to giggle; that was so cute!

His legs seem to wobble and he sinks into an empty chair at the table. I glance at him, sitting down across from him. "Hey Blondie? Are you okay?" My eyes narrow at him in worry, my lips twisting downward in a slight frown.

"Yeah." He utters after a moment's pause. He rubs the side of his leg. "But I'm going to have one hell of a bruise tomorrow."

I grin brightly. Kid has a sense of humor. That's attractive. He glances at me, and I lean back in the chair languidly, my eyes hungrily looking over his face. "Well as long as you're okay kid."

"I'm not a kid." He snaps at me, looking a little unnerved. Perhaps I shouldn't stare so obviously. He holds up his wrist, showing me his yellow wrist banc.

I smile to myself, this kid was really cute. I could feel butterflies flying around in my stomach as I hold up my own arm, revealing my yellow wristband. I let out another grin. "I'm twenty four. You?"

"Twenty-two." I grin, two years younger than me. Not trying to sound pedo-ish at all, but I like younger guys. They have a lot of energy.

"So," I start, taking a skip of the Shirley temple I'd acquired earlier. "Why don't you go get another plate and come back here so we can talk?" I'd really like to get to know him more. Well...I'd really like to know if he's gay or not. He doesn't look gay...

"Why would I do that?" He snaps at me and I raise an eyebrow, wondering if I'm rubbing him the wrong way.

"Because you're a nice kid and you want to be polite to the guy you nearly ran over?" I grin at him, applauding myself for the nice sentence. Perhaps I could use that later. The kid doesn't say another word; he just quickly gets to his feet and goes to get more food.

I smile to myself, munching on some more of my Jell-O. He was interesting, that's for sure.

I zone out for a moment, and I'm jostled back to reality when Blondie eases back into the seat across from me. He grabs a napkin and wipes some food off his shirt. Then he stuffs his mouth full of what looked like noodles mixed with beef.

"Do you always make sure a dramatic entrance to catch someone's attention?" I grin at him as I try to start a conversation. He frowns at me, and I think back, trying to think of what I'd done to offend him.

"I was going to another table." He mutters an excuse, eyes cast downward. "I didn't mean to run into you at all."

I chuckle. "Sure you were kid, that's why you sat down at my table so quickly isn't it?"

He flinches backwards and drops his utensils down on his plate, making a rather loud clattering sound. "What's your problem?" He hisses at me. "Why are you being so rude? You don't even know me!"

I can feel the confusion in my face. I was being rude? I wasn't trying to be... I guess I'm not as good at flirting as I thought I was... I was trying to subtly tell him I was interested in him...

"Rude? What do you mean?" My voice seems softer to me, and I look at him with curiosity. I didn't want to offend him at all.

"You're being a bit rude to me." He pauses, his eyes flickering over my face. "Don't you realize it?"

I can feel the blood rise to my face. I hunch over and eat another forkful of Jell-O. I remember Riku had told me I acted like an ass sometimes...but I didn't think I did. It wasn't intentional that's for sure.

"Ugh." The kid grunts out in annoyance and shoves his chair backwards to stand up. He thrusts the chair back under the table and storms off.

Panicked, I call out the first thing that comes to my mind. "I'm Axel by the way! Get in memorized!"

He doesn't even turn around. I sigh, banging my head against the table. Good job Axel. You'll probably never see him again. And even if I do, he'll avoid me like the black plague.

_8:55pm_

I stroll along the beachside again. I'd spent the afternoon swimming in the ocean to try and ease away my worries, but I just couldn't get the blonde kid out of my head. I didn't even know his name.

I sigh to myself. For all I knew, he could have left the hotel already. I'd never even get a name. I'd be stuck with that regretful memory for the rest of my life.

Ehh...maybe I can drown my sorrow in food. Apparently there's a banquet outside today. It is Christmas Eve, so there should be some good food. I hope there's some more Jell-O. The stuff I'd had at lunch was delicious.

I grab a ticket from a waiter. Looking at the ticket, it was a table and seat number on it. I glance around at all the tables set up all over the lawn outside, looking for one that matched my number.

I catch sight of the number and smile to myself. As I walk over there, someone rises from the table rather quickly and starts walking towards the buffet style food. A grin spreads out over my face as I recognize the blonde hair.

I follow him, standing behind him in line. I grab a plate and put some food on it. Disappointingly, no Jell-O. But I smile at the kid and clear my throat to speak.

"Hey there Blondie."

His body seems to freeze up, and I feel a thread of fear worm into my heart. What if he hated me?

He glances up and down me, and I worry if I'm dressed well for the event. I was just wearing a black tux, but maybe that was a bit much. Maybe he thinks I'm an overconfident jerk... I hope not.

"Axel?" My name comes out of his mouth and I grin brightly. "You actually do remember me...I'm so...flattered."

Butterflies resume their duty flying around my stomach even at the kid frowns slightly and turns to continue putting food on his plate. "You hungry?" I speak up, desperately trying to start a conversation. "You didn't eat much during lunch." He ignores me and starts walking back to his table. I follow, noticing that there's another man sitting at the table.

The blonde turns a little and catches sight of me. He narrows his eyes and walks a little faster, sitting across the table from the other man, who smiles at the blonde. "Hungry Roxas?"

"Roxas." I grin, thankful to finally have a name. I sit down in the seat next to Roxas, thanking god that I had been assigned this seat. Roxas glances at me in disbelief as I take out my ticket and place it on the table so he could see that I'd been assigned to that seat. "Thanks for the name kid." I grin at the guy sitting across from Roxas.

"And you are...?" He cocks his head to the side.

I reach my hand out toward the man. "Axel. Got it memorized? I met Roxie here earlier today."

Oooh Roxie. That was a cute little nickname. I'm going to have to use that.

I notice that he shakes his head, throwing Roxas a look. I glance at Roxas, but he's glancing at me out of the corner of his eyes. I try not to blush, flattered beyond all belief that he was looking. Butterflies continue wreaking havoc on my stomach.

"So, Axel, what're you doing here?" The man asks, leaning forward in his seat. Wish I knew his name, but I'm sure I'll learn later. I'll just identify him by his pudgy nature.

"I'm down here doing some research for this manga I'm in the middle of writing." I grin brightly, happy to share my profession.

"You're a manga artist?" Pudgy leans back in his chair, clearly impressed. "How's that profession?"

I shrug, delighted that he's impressed. "Well, I'm not going to get rich off it, but you know, who cares? It's what I love to do. I'm just absolutely astounded my editor managed to save up enough money to send me down here for an entire week. This is my first day here, and I've been chillin' around for the day before I get down to my research."

"Roxas you've got to admit that's cool!" Pudgy looks at Roxas, and I gather that the two are friends. I wait for Roxas to answer, wanting to get approval from him. But he doesn't say a word, just nods and continues eating.

"What's cool?" Someone questions. I glance up to see another guy and a girl sit down at the table with two plates full of food.

Pudgy sits up, about to get food. He must have been watching the table. "This is Axel," He gestures to me. "He's the guy Roxas met earlier today, and he's a manga artist."

He walks away, and I beam, delighted that Roxas had talked about me with his friends. I'm guessing that the two who just sat down are his friends too. Until I know their names, I shall refer to them as girly, and Blondie, seeing as though Roxas has a name now.

The girl looks at me, intrigued. "So you met Roxas earlier today then?"

I nod, swallowing a mouthful of food I'd put in my mouth a moment earlier. "That's right. He nearly ran over me in the process, but hey, I don't mind." I turn my head slightly catch Roxas' eye, preparing my self to be blatantly obvious that I have thing for him. "He's cute."

Roxas doesn't say anything, just continues eating his food. Maybe he was straight...and his silence was his way of telling me to get lost.

"So what kind of manga do you write?" New Blondie asks me, curiosity plain on his face.

I can feel my face heating up, and I run a hand through my hair. "Ahhh...you'll think it's weird." It's one of the reasons I don't have many friends. In fact... I think my editor is my only real friend.

"No we won't." Girly smiles brightly at me. "We're all friends here."

"Friends huh..." I mutter under my breath. That sounds awfully nice...

"Ah, fine." I take a sip of the red wine that was laid out on front of me. I resist the urge to cringe. Ugh, alcohol tastes so disgusting. I lick my lips, girly's speech influencing me to reveal my manga genre. "I write yaoi and yuri manga."

"Would you all excuse me?" Roxas stands up hurriedly and pushes his chair in. "I'm exhausted, and I think it would be best for me to go to sleep now."

This is when Pudgy arrives back at the table. "Aw, Roxas, why do you have to go? It's Christmas Eve for pete's safe!"

"All the more reason for me to go to sleep." He smiles at his friends, skipping over me. "It's okay, you guys have fun. I don't drink anyway, you'll have more fun without me."

He turns around and walks away quickly, before anyone can even protest. I sigh and bang my head on the table; a repeat of only a few hours ago.

"He hates me doesn't he?" I sigh sadly, sitting up straight and running a hand through my hair. "He must think I'm such a creep."

"Roxas?" Blondie shakes his head and laughs, almost ready to fall out of his seat because he's laughing so hard.

I raise an eyebrow, confused.

Girly chuckles and smiles. "I'm sorry about Hayner. He's known Roxas longer than any of us, so he knows him way better than any of us." She smiles. "I'm Olette by the way. I don't think we were introduced. Obviously, the oaf laughing is ass off is my boyfriend Hayner."

Pudgy smacks his forehead with his hand. "I completely forgot to introduce myself! I'm so sorry, my name is Pence."

I smile at all of them. "Well, it's nice to meet you all. You're all friends with Roxas?"

Hayner nods, recovering from his laugh attack. "Yeah we are. And just by looking at you, I can tell you're enamored with out little Rox."

I feel myself blush, the butterflies in my stomach working overtime. Hayner winks at me. "Hey, don't get embarrassed. 'Cause I can tell he likes you too."

"Really?" I look sharply at him. "How can you tell?"

He smiles. "Like Olette said, I've known Roxas forever. I can practically read him like a book." He leans forward, a more serious expression on his face. "We can help you, but you've got to promise one thing."

I nod, eager for their help. I wanted to get to know Roxas better. Those blue eyes were something I wanted to see again.

"Roxas has never been in a serious relationship before, and he's very sensitive." Hayner glances around at Pence and Olette. "You seem like a good guy, and if Roxas likes you, that's more than enough reason for the rest of us to like you. But, you have to promise to be careful with him. And..." Hayner pauses. "If you break his heart, I reserve the right to break your entire body into little tiny pieces."

I nod, understanding completely. "I promise."

Olette giggles. "Excellent! It's about time Roxas got back out into the dating world."

Pence grins. "This might actually make Roxas happy for the rest of the vacation."

I smile to myself, the butterflies floating around my entire body as the four of us devise a plan to get Roxas to admit that he likes me.


End file.
